White House: Trump would accept less money for border wall

(AP) – Both sides in the long-running fight over funding President Donald Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall appear to have moved toward each other, but a partial government shutdown entered Christmas without a clear resolution in sight.

A top White House official warns the shutdown could stretch into January. It affects about one-fourth of the federal government.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says he’s waiting to hear from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer about a counteroffer the White House presented Schumer over the weekend.

Mulvaney would only say the offer was between Trump’s $5.7 billion request and the $1.3 billion Democrats have offered.

Says Mulvaney: “We moved off of the five and we hope they move up from their 1.3.”

Schumer’s office says the parties remain “very far apart.”